Topic: cork or screwcap - which wine bottle do i use

[kt.]

I have just purchased all the kit to make wine but the main supply of wine bottles I can get are screwcaps.  (unless i drink 24 bottles of wine that have corks.  So my questions are:

1.  Do you use bottles that need corks or bottles with screwcaps?
2.  Can screwcap bottles be sealed with corks?
3.  Can white wine be made in red bottles or do the bottles need to be white; & vice versa.

I intend to start with wine making kits before progressing onto fresh produce to make wine.  How many bottles do you get from a wine making kit & how many demi johns are required to accommodate 1 wine making kit.

[Ninnyscrops.]

Safest way is the white plastic cork route, talking from experience with exploding parsnip wine in in-laws larder so many years ago that I care to remember, gosh did it take an age to clear up and the smell was still in there many months later  ::)

My beetroot wine is in saved bottles but with the plastic caps (together with authentic dust  :)). If you bottle a tad too early they will simple rise and you can push them down again. Not an expert at all, they'll be along shortly. :)

Ninnys

Edit: I think you can keep white wine in red bottles but never red wine in white  ;)

[petengade]

You can cork screw cap bottles, colour of bottle does not matter, for white wine, but bottle my red wines in coloured bottles

[Chrispy]

The kits are normally 1 gallon, which is 1 demijohn or 6 bottles of wine.

I would also go with the palstic corks, hearing a cork go pop is not as bad as heating a bang, and store your wine standing up, at least to start with, hearing a cork go pop is one thing, it's the glop glop glop that follows is what you want to avoid at all costs.

[Uncle Joshua]

I use corks but then you need to buy a corker to put them into the bottles. most screw cap bottles will take a cork.

[grawrc]

The colour of the red wine bottles helps protect the wine's colour from the effects of light. With white wine this isn't really a problem.

[Poppy Mole]

Screw caps are fine - they do exactly the same job as corks in keeping the air out, you will only have a problem if you bottle too early. Corks need to be used for any wine which will still have a sparkle in it or is prone to a secondary fermentation. I also found plastic corks to be very useful. As has been said coloured glass for reds & anything for white although clear glass is nicer to look at.

[Buster54]

I made some elderflower champagne 2 years ago and its still in its 2ltr plastic pop bottles.I had to keep releasing the caps every week for about 6 months  to let the gas out  until there was marginal gas left in,its just like a bottle of fizzy pop now when you open it,before that I bottled some into proper champagne bottles with new corks and wire cages over the corks the pressure blew the cork through the wire cage on one bottle so as I tried to salvage the rest I took one outside to open in to transfer the contents into a demijohn and as I tried to get the cork out the pressure was so great it shot out like a cannon and the contents followed it ended up with half an inch in the bottom,had to put the rest of the bottles in the freezer for 2 days before attempting it again,I make all my wines from scratch no kits so after the full fermentation(around 6 weeks)and racking into clean demijohns I leave for a further month then rack it into 5ltr water bottles(most of my wines are 2 years old) then when Christmas and birthdays arrive I recycle what empty wine bottles I find on me travels

[Hazelb]

handy thread!

I'm about ready to bottle my first attempt at mead..not quite yet, it's still fermenting at the moment. I'll try wine bottles with plastic corks and see how I get on.

[Gordonmull]

Just noticed this one.

If it's something to quaff soon then plastic corks or screwcaps are just fine. If using screwcaps, as noted, then you want to avoid bottle-bombs. Use a hydrometer, they are cheap and easy to read. Below 1.000, no airlock activity and wine is clearing indicates completed fermentation.

If it's something you want to lay down for a while I'd say proper corks are the way to go. Cork is semi-permeable to air and wines need a little oxygen to age properly. They get that traditionally via the cork. Plus if it's a special one, it is a nice feeling to pull out the cork. "Pop, glug-glug-glug" sets the scene, increases anticipation of the goodness to follow. Then if you're anything like me it tastes foul anyway and you swear you'll never make THIS wine again, but then I do like to experiment. Never do carrot, word of advice  ;D

What kind of mead are you making Hazel? I don't think you'll be disappointed but it will be very different from the commercial meads. Trying to keep your mitts off until it's ready will be your hardest challenge!

[lillian]

If you are beginner I would start to with a 6 bottle kit some come with there own PET demi john.
Or if you have a demi john already you could experiment with supermarket white grape /apple juice which makes a surprisingly good wine.
For short term storage I use polypin or bag in a box dispenser. Both are reuseable.